First Light Backing Second Crop of Russian Revolution

The deeds of young stallion Russian Revolution were at the forefront of buyers' minds when a colt (Lot 274) by the exciting Newgate Farm sire sold for AU$230,000 (US$170,185) on the Gold Coast March 22, the highest-priced horse sold at this week's Magic Millions March Yearling Sale.

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott teamed up with syndicator First Light Racing to take home the imposing colt from the second crop of the dual group 1-winning sprinter, the most expensive of the 314 yearlings sold and one of 22 to make AU$100,000 ($73,993) or more at the auction restricted to QTIS-eligible horses.

The colt and an AU$185,000 Capitalist filly (Lot 254) helped sustain a consistent Day 2 market which maintained Day 1 demand, with the aggregate closing out at AU$12,446,500 ($9,209,576), down 14% year-on-year, while the average was AU$39,639 ($29,330), a decrease of 11%, and the median was AU$30,000 ($22,198), down AU$5,000 ($3,699) on the 2021 sale. 

The sale-topping son of Russian Revolution, a foal share between Newgate Farm and Lyndhurst Stud Farm's Griff Kruger, is the fourth foal out of the Sydney-placed, Waterhouse-trained juvenile Right Of Way, herself a daughter of the stakes-placed Street Sign. Right Of Way is the dam of the winning, multiple Brisbane-placed 3-year-old gelding Pentito. 

Waterhouse was at her effervescent best immediately after the combination landed the colt, conducting a Facetime call between First Light Racing's bloodstock manager Ashleigh Dowley, Bott, and herself to celebrate the Gold Coast purchase.

"We thought he was the colt of the sale, so we weren't going to leave without him. We were particularly excited to get another Russian Revolution, the leading first season sire and I think he's the next big stallion on the rise," Dowley told ANZ Bloodstock News March 22. 

"We bought him with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and they train the first stakes-winning colt by Russian Revolution in Rise Of The Masses, who ran in the Golden Slipper over the weekend. 

"They're big fans of the stallion and so are we and, on top of all that, they trained the mum Right Of Way. They had a fair opinion of her. Gai said she was a very fast 2-year-old, she was a multiple city-placed 2-year-old… who had above-average ability."

The Oct. 31-born colt, who was cataloged as Lot 274, was offered by Lyndhurst Stud Farm.

"It is a huge result. I sent the mare to Russian Revolution on a foal share, we got a lovely colt who stood out in this sale being a QTIS and a BOBS horse and he's gone to great trainers in Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott," Kruger said.

Russian Revolution, the sire of five first crop winners including Neds Blue Diamond Prelude (G2) winner and Neds Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) runner-up Revolutionary Miss and Bowermans Pago Pago Stakes (G3) winner Rise Of The Masses, has averaged AU$165,721 ($122,622) so far this year, up 56% compared to his first crop yearlings.

Newgate Farm's Tony "Tubba" Williams, who was on the Gold Coast for the sale, was effusive in his praise of Russian Revolution and the colt as well as breeder Griff Kruger.

"There is no doubt we couldn't be happier with how the stallion is going. At this point he is the leading first season sire and to produce stock like he has, we can see his second season being equally as good as his first, if not better … and this colt is right up there with the best of them," Williams said. 

"Make no mistake, he's as good a Russian Revolution colt as has been at a sale all year."

Dowley believes the colt has the physique and maturity to be racing as a 2-year-old and, like many who buy a horse from Magic Millions, has designs on next year's $2 million 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in January.

It was an opinion shared by Waterhouse and Bott as well as Kestrel Thoroughbreds' Bruce Slade, the trainers' representative at the Gold Coast sale.

"He is a pretty forward, physical type already. He does look to be that natural 2-year-old and we've seen it time and time again that just because he is a late foal it doesn't mean he is going to be too far behind," Dowley said. 

"Anamoe is a November foal; Daumier won the Neds Blue Diamond (G1) and he's a late November foal as well, so it can be done, and if he doesn't (get to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic) there's always plenty of opportunities in the autumn."

Later in the session, Dowley was good on her promise to source yearlings for First Light Racing's Queensland stable which is overseen by Eagle Farm trainer Rob Heathcote.

The syndictor bought a Winning Rupert filly (Lot 358) for AU$80,000 ($59,194) from Lyndhurst Stud Farm, a filly (Lot 371) by Spill The Beans for AUS$11,000 ($8,139), and a colt (Lot 391) by Better Than Ready for AU$75,000 ($55,495) from Eureka Stud in conjunction with Heathcote.

Queensland's Lyndhurst Stud Farm, which stands Better Than Ready and will welcome John McGrath Auto Group Black Opal Stakes (G3) winner Barbaric to the roster later this year, was the second-leading vendor by aggregate, trading 29 yearlings for AU$1,301,500 ($963,023).

"As a vendor, I think across the board it was pretty good. If you had a reasonable reserve you were well rewarded and the Better Than Readys are going great guns up here, so they weren't too hard to sell, they were pretty popular," Kruger said.

Although the March sale did not follow the 2022 Australian trend of year-on-year increases, Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch was satisfied with the way the QTIS auction played out.

"I think there was a very healthy market for the two days. Vendors brought well-presented, well-conformed horses here and they were motivated to meet the market and that's a good recipe for a horse sale," Bowditch said Tuesday evening.

"There was plenty of interest from regional and southeast Queensland as well as interstate participation and some international buyers, it has been a solid two days trade."

The Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, April 5 and 6, in Sydney will now take center stage on the southern hemisphere sales circuit but for Magic Millions, it will turn its attention to the National weanling, broodmare, and yearling sale scheduled from May 19 to June 2.

"We have been really delighted with how the tour of Australia, as we put it, has gone for the Magic Millions yearling sale series," he said. 

"Now all roads lead back to the Gold Coast in mid to late May and we're really looking forward to an outstanding broodmare, weanling, and yearling sale.

"We're still taking entries for that and anyone who is considering selling should get in touch with our bloodstock department in the next seven days."